The Emptiness of Fate
by Leya
Summary: A 'What if...' story. Takes place while and right after Devil's Trap. What if the demon used another way to get his revenge? Part one of the Family-Bounds-Verse.


Titel: The Emptiness of Fate  
Series: Family-Bounds-Verse, Part 1  
Autor: Leya  
Fandom: Supernatural  
Pairing: Azazel/Dean, Sam  
Disclaimer: All the characters are the sole property of Kripke & Co. I'm only playing with them.  
Word Count: 2.829  
Rating: R  
Warnings: violence (nothing graphic), mpreg (implied)

A 'What if...' story. Takes place while and right after _Devil's Trap_. What if the demon used another way to get his revenge?

- - -

The last time Sam saw his brother they were stuck in an old cabin and the Yellow-Eyed Demon, currently possessing the body of their father, held them captive against the wall.

_„I forgot. I wasted them."_

_'Dean, no! Just for once in your life, shut up! Please!'_, Sam begged in his mind, panic constricting his throat, while a mixture of fear, pain and anger made it impossible for him to voice his fears.

A long moment of breathless silence stretched between the three men in the small cabin and somehow Sam knew for sure that his brother overstepped a line and made the demon even angrier at them as he already was in his foolish attempt to divert the creatures attention from his little brother.

Azazel approached Dean slowly, a cold smile gracing his lips, and took his time in giving the young man a more than interested once-over.

„You got something to say, boy?"

„Yeah, want me to spell it out for you?"

Sam closed his eyes and banged his head against the wall in his back. Dean never knew when to keep his mouth shut, never showed any sign of self-preservation just because his way of protecting his family consisted in making himself the maintarget. His constant carelessness as far as his own safety was concerned made Sam sad... and furious.

„Dean... don't", the younger Winchester pleaded desperately but the demon quickly put a stop to his attempts and readjusted the grip his mind had on him. The sharp pain of colliding once again with the wooden planks of the cabin made Sam whimper in pain and pushed his brother over the edge.

„You son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you! Leave him alone!"

„Seems I have to teach you a lesson, boy." The Yellow-Eyed Demon shook his head in mock disbelief and brought his hand up to encircle Dean's throat with hard fingers. He felt the boy's pulse flutter, saw the worry underneath the facade of the brave soldier, the barely hidden fear in the green depths of the boy's eyes and felt a sudden rush of desire burning through his veins, something he had experienced quite often before but never with a human. They were nothing more than playthings, pretty little toys to manipulate and destroy. Nothing worth his attention for more than fulfilling their purpose and still... this boy intrigued him.

For his plans it would be best to kill the Winchesters here and now and put an end to their ridiculous quest for revenge. Kill Dean and John and make Sammy his devoted chosen. He knew what he had to do when he wanted his plans to work but suddenly he found himself reconsidering his next move.

There was something in Dean's eyes, something he never had seen before in the eyes of a mere human and it made his mind tingle in a sudden flash of foreboding.

In all those centuries of his existence he never had been careless enough to ignore a warning. Sometimes his fellow demons called him overcautious but he was still around – unlike all those fools who rushed in head over heels and found themselves exorcised before they even knew what hit them.

And so he placed his free hand on Dean's forehead while the other continued in holding a painful tight grip on the boy's throat, capturing the dark green eyes with his own, looking, watching, searching for something, anything. His premonitions never were wrong and even when Dean was nothing more than a fool who stubbornly clung to his little brother and father – there had to be something he missed before.

Realisation struck like a lighting.

Unbelievable. He knew Dean claimed every chance he got that he would do anything for his family and although the boy had said so himself just a couple of moments before the demon never believed him. Not entirely. Everyone eventually reached a point where they gave up, backed down and abandoned the ones they loved. Sometimes it took minutes, sometimes centuries. But everyone could be broken. You just had to find out how.

Dean was different.

Oh, he had heard about those who stood fast and strong. Those, once they chose a side, never wavered or gave in regardless the consequences. He heard about them by hearsay but never met one. Until now. Reason told him to kill this boy. To kill him quick and without mercy before he got a chance to destroy all those wonderful crafted plans Azazel had worked on for countless decades now.

And still he hesitated.

„Get away from him!"

Thankful for the distraction Azazel turned his head and let his lips curl upwards, imitating one of John Winchester's fatherly smiles.

„Aw... Sammy! I'm sorry. Do you feel left out?"

"Screw you!"

The demon couldn't help but to use the opportunity. Sometimes Sammy was making this far too easy. "If you insist..."

He moved in the direction of the youngest Winchester.

„No! Don't you hurt my brother!" Dean struggled with renewed strength against the hold of the demon but its power just wouldn't budge. „Leave Sammy alone!"

How wonderfully predictable. Just threat to hurt Sammy and Dean forgot everything about self-preservation. Azazel smiled. He really loved to see the boy's self-destructive tendencies running so deep through his veins that he doesn't even realise what he was doing. Protecting Sammy was already more than a job. It was Dean's aim in life. His _only_ aim in life.

Poor little Dean. His family just didn't know what a treasure they held in their hands.

The demon smiled again and scolded himself for not seeing it sooner. This boy was nothing more than loyalty personified. To have someone this loyal bound to his cause, to have _Dean_ at his side... the possibilities were breathtaking.

Killing Dean would not only mean to waste a rather unique soul, but it also meant to be lavish with a gift fate gave to him on a surprising whim of generosity. There was no way in hell for him to be _this_ ungrateful.

He wanted Dean at his side. Forever. Whatever it costs.

Now all he had to do was to find the right words to push Dean in the direction he desired. Somehow he had to convince the boy to actually consider a deal with him. Unfortunately Dean had to be the one proposing a deal. Demons were allowed to accept, or neglect, a deal but they never were allowed to actually _suggest_ a deal.

Luckily he knew exactly which buttons to press.

„You know there are many different ways to deal with demons." Azazel mocked the boy in front of him and brought his mouth next to Dean's ear. „You can try to kill me but you already failed this one and now you've lost the colt you just have to face the truth: you're a failure."

„Set me free and I'll show you how much of a failure I am!"

Brave words but too much pain interspersed his voice and Azazel nearly shouted in joy. Oh, yes. Dean would be his and there was nothing Sam or even John could do to prevent this from happening.

"Face the truth, boy. Your father's body is mine. Neither you nor Sammy can fight me. Hell, you're not even able to move! I could kill you and your family in an instant. Maybe I should begin with dear little Sammy? Ripping him open and leave his intestines rotting on the floorboards. What do you think? Should I do something terrible unfatherly like that?"

Wide-eyed fear shimmering behind the beautiful green curtains veiling Dean's soul and Azazel nearly choked on a sudden burst of desire as his current body reacted almost instantly with a painful hard-on fighting against the rough denim of his trousers.

"Think about it, boy. The fate of your family is in your hands now."

Slowly Azazel pressed his lips against the soft flesh of Dean's neck, sucking lightly on the fluttering heartbeat pulsing under the transparent skin until he suddenly lost it and bit down. Hard.

"Get off me!"

A panicked struggle followed but Azazel just held on, his mouth still latched on the bloodied skin of Dean's neck, sucking and licking the open wound tenderly. Far too gone to care all he felt was hunger and the taste of an exceptional promise in the boy's blood.

_Mine._

"Let him go! I'll kill you! Stop it!"

Oh, yes. Sammy. He really had forgotten about his chosen one. Chuckling to himself Azazel raised his head and let his gaze linger longingly on the bruise now colouring Dean's wonderful pale skin before he turned around and threw the young man a rather annoyed look.

"You'll kill me? Don't be ridiculous, boy." Azazel felt his patience wearing thin and decided to speed the whole matter up. A sharp stab of his mind and suddenly blood stained the front of Sam's shirt.

"You'll kill me?", he repeated harshly and cruel laughter filled the air. "I really like to see you try!"

More blood ran down. Sam threw his head back and hissed in pain. "Dad, please! Fight him. Don't let him do this to me!"

"John can't help you. He's out cold, boy."

Another stab with his mind before he quickly tore off the remains of the shirt, letting Dean see all the welts and cuts slicing open the skin on his brother's chest, making him realise just how bad it really was and than Sam's eyes rolled back in his head, leaving him stuck to the wall like a butterfly in a showcase and Dean finally, _finally_, reacted the way he hoped for.

"NO! Please stop! I'll do everything, just stop!"

They were so close...

Azazel looked back at his favoured prey and allowed himself a deliberately cold smile. "Why should I do something like that? It's fun to play with little Sammy over there."

"I'll give you everything. You hear me? Everything you want! Just leave Sammy alone!"

The demon thoughtfully tilted his head to one side. "Everything? That's rather dangerous, boy. I could be tempted to claim your soul."

"I don't care as long as Sammy and my father are safe."

He should have foreseen that one. Of course Daddy would have to be a part of deal.

"Two lives to spare. Your soul is not enough to make this work, Dean. Remember you killed my son and you exorcised my daughter. I want _compensation_."

Suddenly Dean seemed to be at a loss for words and Azazel couldn't help to notice how adorable the boy looked when he was confused.

"What do you _want_?"

"A life for a life, Dean." Azazel enjoyed this far too much but he couldn't help it. This was delicious, making a deal on his conditions was his personal version of heaven.

Still the boy didn't understand. So the demon licked his lips and decided to finally bring the game to an end.

„Let's talk about the deal, then." Getting down to business was something he always enjoyed. It made the limitations of his existence bearable. "You will come with me, Dean. Not to hell, don't think that. Bringing you to hell will make you useless for me. I want you at my side until you repaid the lives of the children you took from me."

"Dean..."

Not now. Azazel forcefully fought down the urge to shut Sam up. Forever.

"I'll do everything!" The pain in his brother's voice cut like a knife in his heart and Dean wasn't sure how much longer he could stand it. He needed to help Sammy. As quickly as possible. And when a deal with the yellow-eyed-bastard who killed their mother was what it took to get Sammy out of here alive... well, there was no sense in hesitating. "What do I have to do? Kill someone? Collect some souls for you?"

"Dean, no!" Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. Coming back from unconsciousness and listening to your brother selling his soul – it was more than he could bear. "I'm okay, Dean! You hear me? Even when he kills me... it's alright!"

This was better than he imagined. Azazel quickly schooled his features into a blank mask. A little more of telling Dean that he wasn't needed and Sammy would be the one pushing his brother in Azazel's arms. Literally.

"You will let them go? Unharmed?"

"Sammy and your father are free to go", Azazel confirmed and smiled expectantly. "Do we have a deal?"

Dean swallowed hard and let his gaze flicker over to his brother who answered with a steady look. "I'm alright, Dean. I don't want you to sacrifice anything for me. Dad would tell you the same. We cannot give in to this monster. Do you want everything to be for nothing? Mom's death, all what we're fighting for? Let it kill us but we'll still be ourselves. At least we will be free."

Suddenly all tension left the boy's body and Azazel felt it going slack in his grasp. Internally singing with joy he never allowed his emotions to show on the outside. _Just a little more..._

"I'm sorry, Sam. But this is something I never... I can't do this."

"We're talking about your soul, you fool!" The pain in his chest hurt him beyond anything he ever endured so far and the constant aching let Sammy finally snap and in a sudden rush of honesty, caused by a terrible mixture of fear, hate and pain, he spilled all his thoughts in an almost incoherent ramble. „I don't care if you try to protect me. Stop it! I can take care of my own! I don't need you to look out for me. All I ask of you is to take care of yourself! Just once, Dean! Just once in your goddamn life I want you take care of your own!"

Dean's features hardened, his mouth pressing into a thin line of disappointment. How could Sammy even think of talking him out of this? He knew exactly what he had to do, knew it since the moment his father placed his baby-brother in his arms and there was no way in hell he would fail his family. Never.

"Tell me what I have to do."

In this instant Sam realised which terrible mistake he made and the hopelessness burning in his soul broke free with a cry full of despair and guilt.

The demon dismissed Sam with a triumphant smile and leaned in. Whispering too low for Sam to hear anything he suddenly saw his brother's eye go wide in disbelief and then Dean looked up, big green eyes full of unreadable emotions and in this instant the younger Winchester knew... just knew that this was the end, that this was a goodbye and all he could do was to scream his brother's name in a desperate attempt to stop this madness.

Neither Azazel nor his brother reacted. They didn't pay the slightest attention to him and he realised that he just didn't matter anymore. His brother was lost to him and it was his fault.

Dean was looking in the eyes of the demon, nodded once and then Azazel bend down and kissed the soft lips of his victim before Dean sacked forward, obviously unconscious by now. The demon gathered him up in his arms and with a strangely fond smile on his face he watched the expressionless features of the boy before he turned his head back to Sam.

"Thank you so much for your help, Sammy."

"Please..." Sam knew it was futile but he just couldn't give up on his brother. "Take me instead. You said so yourself. You have plans with me. I'll do everything you want. Please, just let Dean go."

"You still don't understand, do you?" Azazel shook his head and again his gaze lingered fondly on Dean's form laying peaceful in his arms. "There is no-one to replace your brother. He's rather special. A treasure."

He stopped at the small table to put the colt in his pocket, before he walked to the door. On the threshold he hesitated unexpectedly. "I'll leave your father as soon as possible. It was part of the deal and I'm keeping my word."

And then he was gone and all Sam could do was to stare at open door and acknowledge for the first time the numbing emptiness in his soul where the presence his brother used to be.

END


End file.
